Month: May 2016

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Alex of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, Virginia, I stopped in for a tour and tasting outside of normal business hours. Shout out to Alex! Thank You!

Alex took me around the entire brewery, told me the whole history and described their current plans. Wow! He did all that just for me. We spend well over an hour together.

From humble beginnings, Hardywood has great plans. I hope to stay in touch and visit again in the future to take part in their success.

In terms of tasting, Alex started me with the Singel which is a delicious Belgian Blonde Ale. It’s an on-ramp for regular beer drinkers to get them into craft beer. Well done! It’s delicious. From there we went to Pils which is a wonderful German style Pilsner. Very drinkable and easy to enjoy. Next I tried the Peach Tripel which I enjoyed so much that I bought a bottle and enjoyed it at home with the family. Finally, I enjoyed the Bourbon Cru which also rose to he status of bringing a bottle home, but I’m going to age that. Although I didn’t try it at the brewery, I brought two bottles of Poplar IPA home. I enjoyed one with the family and it is awesome. And I shared a bottle with a good friend.

Alex told me about other styles and I could share them with you but I’ll wait until a return trip and the opportunity to taste them firsthand.

Hardywood is a great place with great people. Do yourself a favor and stop by!

I stopped in at Final Gravity Brewing Company (conveniently co-located with Original Gravity Homebrew Supply) in Richmond, Virginia. For a nano brewery they certainly had a number of beers to try. I first enjoyed the Red Rooster Red Rye IPA, then the Irish Goodbye Stout. Both were very good. Their Venus IPA was delicious and their Grapefruit IPA (Venus IPA through Randall with grapefruit) was so good – even had bits of pulp in it – yum!

I stopped in at Ardent Craft Ales in Richmond, Virginia with a colleague to try their beer. We both enjoyed their VA Common which is much like the better known California Common (aka Anchor Steam Beer). The beer is delicious. Very drinkable with a malty finish. Just a touch of hoppiness to keep it from being too sweet. I also sampled the Stone Arrogant Bastard which was brewed at Ardent Craft Ales – one of my favorites – and it was tasty as always.

I stopped in Legend Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia with a colleague for dinner and a beer. We greatly enjoyed dinner on their deck in wonderful weather – thankful for a clear day after dozens of days of rain. We each enjoyed great salads – Cobb and Greek. We paired them with the brown ale and my buddy also enjoyed an imperial brown ale. Both the food and the beers were delightful and enjoying them outdoors overlooking the James River in Richmond made it all the better.

I stopped in at 7 Hills Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia. The bartender recommended the Chicken Club Sandwich which was delicious! He also recommended the Belle Isle Blonde Ale which paired perfectly. The beer was light and smooth, very easy to drink, and did not overpower the chicken sandwich. A perfect way to end the evening.

I stopped in at Triple Crossing Brewing in Richmond, Virginia and enjoyed their Element 79 Summer Golden Ale which was one of the more refreshing and enjoyable beers I have ever tasted. It was light enough that it didn’t feel too filling. At the same time, it was flavorful, slightly fruity, definitely malty, but with crisp hoppiness. This beer had everything a beer should have.

I stopped in at Garden Grove Brewing in Richmond, Virginia and enjoyed the Farmhouse Saison. The beer was a relaxing and enjoyable choice for happy hour. The saison had a familiar, refreshing taste. Hints of fruit flavored this delicious beer.

I stopped in at Isley Brewing Company in Richmond, Virginia. One of their flagship beers is Choosy Mother Peanut Butter Porter. This is an awesome beer. The flavor is right-on! Of course, you pretty-much need to be a peanut butter lover (at least, liker) to enjoy this. The porter is not as heavy as a stout. This is very easy to drink. The peanut butter flavor is very present but not overpowering. Delicious. Stop in and try some!

I stopped in at Strangeways Brewing in Richmond, Virginia and sampled two of their sour beers (which they are widely known for). Their Uberlin Berliner Weisse Sour was delightfully crisp and tart with hints of fruity flavors. The Bartlett and Bosc Pear O.T.I.S. was deliciously pear-flavored, tangy and refreshing. On a warm summer day these sours will be perfectly refreshing.

I stopped in at The Answer Brewpub in Richmond, Virginia for lunch and a beer. The Obey Berliner Weisse beer was crisp, tart and delicious. I felt it paired beautifully with the pork belly Bahn Mi. Obey your thirst! This is a great place to stop for delicious food and delicious beer.